These Are Some of My Favorite Things

► My love for Idaho is no secret and this sweet print of my beloved hometown captures how fantastic Boise really is. (All of these city prints are so great!)
► We are on a paletas kick- making about 1 batch a day and having a dedicated drawer in our freezer for them right now! These amazing ones from Joy are out of control good!
► I have to nerd out on HR stuff every once in awhile since I've been surrounded with it for almost 8 years now (EIGHT YEARS! Wowza!). I am always intrigued by perfecting the interview (on both sides), and I loved the concept behind this method of interviewing. 
► I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel to one of my all-time favorite books-turned-movie, The Devil Wears Prada. Anyone else get the chills I get when I hear the "Don't be silly. Everyone wants this" line? 
►I had to borrow this link from Cup of Jo, since we all know my feelings about this age of social media and how I feel we are losing touch with the most important aspect to our existence.
►With my goal of getting more crafty, now that I have more space, I would love this stamp, which will also be versatile as I hopefully move back to the Best Coast.
►Summer is in full-force here, humidity included, so naturally all I am thinking about is cold weather and skiing. Initial research for a hopeful European ski vacation started here today.
►These bracelets would make such perfect on-the-fly gifts for girlfriends. Modern day friendship bracelets.

Focus. Focus.

When my nephew was little (he is still little, but he was really little a few years ago!) someone taught him to say "focus. foooocccuuusss" whenever he was doing something like going down the stairs where he could get hurt if he wasn't paying attention.

It was adorable.

He would walk up to the top of a set of stairs, get a hand on the wall, would look at anyone in the room and then say "focus. fooocccuuusss" and then take the steps down.

Well Wyatt, I need to hear your little voice in my head every day right now. I need some FOCUS!

It is so so so so SO easy to get distracted, flitting from one to-do list to the next, thinking about tomorrow, and then two weeks from now, getting tired and throwing out your meal plan, or abandoning your intentions to work out so you can watch the Bachelorette while making Paletas.

Distraction for me comes in the form of excuses.

"Well, if I go work out, then I won't eat dinner until late, and then I need to do X before the weekend, and it will just be too late"

It also rears its ugly head with time wasting activities.

Exhibit A: Facebook

I took charge lately and along with Sara, and we GAVE UP FACEBOOK. Gulp. For one month, but hopefully forever in the sense that my addiction will be squished by the time I get it back and I just won't care.

It has honestly helped. I find myself reading, sitting by the pool, cleaning, working, and doing creative things more than I was. Am I still distracted by Instagram, twitter and Pintrest? Absolutely! But it is helped, and I only hope I can eliminate other distractions that allow me to be more present.

Why did I pick Facebook, and why had it gotten so out of control? Well I don't think I was even that big of a user of Facebook, but I noticed the comparisons I was starting to make.

Feeling nervous that everyone was announcing their engagements and babies and starting to think I wasn't doing something right. Or talking about their promotions, or new jobs, and feeling like I don't have much to brag about. People adopting puppies, and getting sad I can't do that. Friends hanging out, going on amazing trips, and me being stuck on the wrong side of the country.

It was all bad. It was all destructive behavior- because let's be honest, no one's life is perfect. We show only what we want to show on these crazy social media outlets.

So I made it so I had to stop looking, and it has done wonders.

I gained some focus.

But there are still some things, big things, that I need to train my eyes to look forward, and not do the crazy horse eye with.

I lost ten pounds on Weight Watchers over the course of about 6 weeks. Then the Poodle, my birthday, Vegas, and Vegas recovery happened. I've been cheating. Playing the eating game halfway. Half good. Half bad. Luckily, the worst that has happened, is that I am stalled. I haven't shed a single ounce. Knowing that it is my own doing it good, but still, I am defeated, and thus continue on this half in, half out, behavior.

I have 10 weeks to shed at least another 10 pounds before Kendal's wedding. There is no other reason to do this other than the fact that I am tired of looking the way I do. I remember Alli's wedding... where I looked back at the photos and thought how sad I was that I had three chins in photos she will have forever. I don't want that feeling again.

So I need to buckle down. I need to stop saying "yes" to foods I know I shouldn't be eating (or at least eating frequently". I need to be planning ahead, have snacks on me at all times, and the confidence to tell people that I need options based on my eating needs. No more eating the burger because everyone else has a burger and it would seem rude to ask to go somewhere else. I need to get back to the gym and not once every two weeks. 2-3 times a week at a minimum.

I need to focus. Foooocccuuusss.

Vegas. #kendalgetsmarried

Vegas.
My first time in Vegas. After many antipacted months of planning, brainstorming, and changing everything a million different times, a weekend in Vegas happened to celebrate Kendal's upcoming nuptials.
Erica and I had planned via phone and gchat this weekend for months. It is crazy to think it was so complicated to organize 8ish women to make sure we all end up in the same place, and the same time. Granted, I shouldn't be surprised at all. Planning things in general is a lot of effort, never mind for a group of girls!
Luckily it was a great weekend, and such a great chance to see the group of girls who I call some of my dearest friends.
I flew from DC to Vegas on Friday afternoon and was welcomed with a blast of sweet sweet dry heat! After checking in the Flamingo hotel, I set out with the other two early arrivers and sought out my first cocktail and a big plate of nachos at Margharittaville. We then decided to start my on food tour and roamed down the strip to see the Venetians, TI, and any other place that we could duck into to beat the heat. After roaming and collecting some drinks for the rooms, we headed back to the rooms to put up decorations in the room to really ring in the Bachelorette party theme.

Other arrivers trickled in, and due to our increasing numbers in age, we all agreed on some soda, chips and salsa, followed by an early (early by Vegas standards, not early for me in regular life!) bedtime.

A morning energy rally happened and we all congregated by the pool to soak in some rays in the triple digit weather! I managed to avoid a major burn (just a few minor spots on my Swedish skin). Hunger dictated showers and a trip to a hotel resteraunt for a massive cheese burrito and cocktails.

After lunch the planned festivities started and we headed to a Pole dancing class at Pole Fitness Studio (highly recommend them). A few minor hiccups in the plan, but we managed to have a blast and to get the bride-to-be laughing.

Relaxing, hair, make up, fake eyelashes, and droning our best Vegas get-ups we headed to dinner at Society Cafe at the Encore. This meal was awesome! A lot of us opted for a four course chefs menu which was so good!

Then we walked to the Wynn next door, and stood in a line that would rival any ride at Disneyland to get into XS. Luckily, good company and a beer make a long line seem a little bit shorter. After weaving through a cue that would make your head spin, we walked into this mega club to a scene that was EXACTLY how I envisioned Vegas. Lights. Dancing. Massive crowds of dancing people. A few obscenely overpriced cocktails, we staked a spot, got the bride-to-be socializing and watched the magic happen. The big attraction of the night was Avicii, and I can certainly check off my bucket list the item that says "go to the most popular nightclub in Vegas, and see a a-list DJ". Check.

I was proud. We stayed out until about 4, pouring ourselves into bed and sleeping through the the remaining wee hours of the morning.
Recovery breakfast. Shopping adventure. And tracking down some sweets from Bouchon bakery wrapped up my trip and I headed back to the airport with a total of about 10 total hours of sleep for the weekend.

Bachelorette party success.

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